Something old and something new from Whiteflash

[LLJsmom]

You have the prettiest ear lobes. (Ever consider a side hustle of being an earring model?). I don’t know why I never noticed before. Oh yeah, that’s right. You have those amazing studs that blind me to anything else. But those gorgeous little diopside studs look absolutely beautiful on you. I love how you can rock all your fabulous dang lies and look amazingly beautiful with these baby green beauties. And I swear girl. You are gonna do it again. You’re like the Pied Piper of PS. I sense a trend coming on, PBTY long necklaces. Dammit! I’m feeling that itch... pearls are slipping in and out of my daily bling musings. Yeah. Fer realz. That necklace is easy distinctive glam.

 

[yennyfire]

You’ve done it again!! Created (and recreated!) two gorgeous pieces. I love the sentimentality behind the earrings....so sweet! And the pearls with the rose gold are perfect! Could you wear it doubled if you chose to?

 

[arkieb1]

Gorgeous timeless pieces, as always!!!!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I love the earrings. They look fabulous on you, your hair is beautiful and your ears look darling with those sweet green spots of color. I love the story- marriage is just like that. The box that Whiteflash sent you is the most beautiful box. How very sweet of them.

The necklace is perfection. I love everything about it. So gorgeous.

 

[springerspaniel]

The earrings, the wonderful story and the necklace are all lovely!

 

[bright&shiny]

Love your stories - and if you only have one necklace, that’s an amazing one to have for a lifetime! Congratulations. It’s given me some ideas for working with whiteflash! Thank you for sharing the projects and stories.

 

[MMtwo]

One of the most decerning eyes on PS. I learn so much listening to the stories of your selections. The earrings are so vibrant.

I still owe you one for the "meh" pearl earring save and the resulting GSS studs!

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Storytiiiiiime! I love story time and when it's matched with glamorous shots of goodness? Bonus!
And if you only have the one necklace, well, what a necklace it is.

 

[Catmom]

Beautiful earrings and necklace!!

 

[CMN]

I can’t stop thinking about that gorgeous necklace. I think I NEED it!

 

[idealw2boys]

Love love ....
great story and projects are lovely!

 

[ellekay]

I have never heard of diopside before, but what a gorgeous gemstone!

Asymmetry is such a difficult thing to get right, and that necklace is perfect. Excellent job. Thank you for sharing!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I can't believe I missed this! What a sweet story about the earrings! So glad the stones are in more protective settings now!

And....you know how I feel about that necklace!!! I absolutely love long station necklaces and have long thought about a pearl one. Yours is absolutely GORGEOUS, and I am thrilled at how beautifully Whiteflash made it! (Of course, that's not surprising since I already have a perfect 36" dbty from them!) The pearls you got from Andrew are out of this world, too! You have such good taste and I always enjoy your stories about each piece! I think this may not be your last long necklace once you see how much you enjoy this one!

 

[yssie]

@Dandi Thank you! The earrings have been with me so long now. My other half is usually the more sentimental one - I'm always the one struggling to remember anniversaries So I was surprised by both how casually he suggested just replacing them outright and how totally unacceptable that solution was

I will very happily take alllllll those descriptions


@RockOnReen Oh my goodness! It’s so good to “see” you - it feels like it’s been forever! Thank you so much!!


@Elise_k, @ForteKitty Thank you!


Thank you @CMN, @ellekay! The asymmetry was a challenge - all the Tiffany pieces I looked at had the stations are spaced pretty far apart. I wanted to avoid copying a Tiffany sprinkle too closely, so I’m actually glad that mine’s busier than any of theirs! I’m so happy with how it turned out

A phone cord, of all things, turned out to be almost exactly the length I wanted! So I “modeled” the arrangement with taped paper tags and mailed it out to WF with the pearls




@lovedogs Thank you love

 

[yssie]

@MakingTheGrade, @lissyflo You pearls girls know how these things Just Need To Be

Having a station necklace with both pearls and diamonds made is so much more complicated than it has any right to be!! I think I’d have been relieved to just have it done, even if WF hadn’t executed it to absolute perfection - so the fact that they did is icing I guess we’re both waiting for @MakingTheGrade to start her own beading and wire-wrapping service

I must say, I think looks delightful with a sleep tank and fuzzy pants - truly an all-purpose sort of piece


@HollyC Thank you so much for your very sweet and generous thoughts I’d been saving both pieces for that night - I’m really glad I was able to get at least one photo of first wear before the animal asylum took over!!

Oh, and speaking of people we're going to need some collection photos from one day. I was actually thinking about your jewellery box just last night - I've seen glimpses of some stunning pieces in various snaps in various threads...


@Alex T “Assertive with what I do and don’t like” is - honestly, such a huge compliment. Thank you! I’ve learnt so much here on PS. So much information, and so many ideas that I know I’d never have had the inspiration or opportunity to explore otherwise

SO MUCH YES to necklaces that don’t strangle you!! This one has a clasp - my thought was that I might wear it on the wrist, but it actually turns out to be either much too long or much too short as a bracelet. Sigh. Since it does have a clasp I can theoretically wear it doubled, but the practicality of having two chains so close to my throat is more than I can stand, even to grab a decent photo or two I think I like the way it looks long better anyway, though


@dk168, @missy Thank you


@Snowdrop13 Thank you!! These akoya were my first gemmies - they’re actually from the “uncerted” strand in this thread!
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/akoya-comparisons-hanadama-ten-nyo-and-uncerted-gem-quality.256212/#lg=post-4723582&slide=0
They’re not uncerted any more - one of the two bracelets I had made went to GIA a few months ago, and now Andrew is kindly sending it to Japan for a visit to PSL for me, so I hope to have an interesting GIA/PSL comparison pretty soon!! I'm really curious to see if they come back with similar nacre thickness, especially...

 

[yssie]

@Slick1 Thank you darling

That dress is the single most flattering thing I own. The middle-of-lockdown covid nineteen stood no chance against a chiffon-encased bone corset

The necklace has a clasp, and I can wear it doubled, but I just can’t take the feeling of chains so close to my throat I’ve had that dicomfort for as long as I can remember. It has, up til now, had the upside of turning me off (and thereby preventing me from spending on) a whole category of jewellery. This piece is “something new” in all sorts of ways


@blingthing Thank you!! I have no idea where he got those greenies from but he did really well


Thank you so much @MissGotRocks I hope this will be a very wearable piece! White round pearls and white round diamonds is such a classic combination - but it’s definitely also a combination that often veers “bridal”, and I wanted to stay as far away from that aesthetic as I could. The pink metal, the odd station spacing, the mix of diamond sizes, the very long length - I think all together the effect is more “cute & quirky” than anything else. Which is just fine - I can work with “cute & quirky”!!


@m-2-b Thank you!! WF did a really marvellous job - there is absolutely nothing to nitpick. And you know me!

I’ve been planning on taking some collection photos for - well, a few years, at least I keep waiting to “finish” some portion of my collection but that's a moving target! One of these decades, I promise...


@molinePDG Thank you!! These pearls are sublime. They deserve to be showcased in something really beautiful - I'm just the vehicle bringing their demand to delivery, really

 

[yssie]

@tyty333 Y'know, I think back in those days he hadn’t yet figured out just how much of my jewellery rambles he could get away with tuning out

I know we've both got so many years of happinesses with WF!! And to think I wouldn’t know anything about them if it wasn’t for PS!! It’s honestly hard to imagine life without PS! I’m so glad for this place. Mostly the friends I’ve made here


@cushioncutnut Thank you!! I started with equidistant stations, but it felt much too formal and traditional. A bit odd that rearranging with negative space can create such a different look and feel, but it totally does!!


@Mcgregor, @canuk-gal Thank you so much Pearls and diamonds really do go together like they’re meant to be together I'm very glad to have my combo!!


@bling_dream19 My sister in pearls and in sugar with shots of espresso Thank you!!

I hear ya. And feel ya. I tried to wear it doubled and lasted about thirty seconds. I have no idea why I’m so sensitive to the feel of things in front of my neck. The back of the neck is just fine - collared shirts, hats with flaps, long hair, no problem!! What is it about long necklaces bothers you?

We’ll meet up one of these days and she’ll be yours for the afternoon if you want her


@Polabowla, @Dmndsr4evr11, @Kim N Thank you!

I still have the bear!! She’s on the top shelf in the library - one of the only flat surfaces in this house that the cats can’t get to She looked naked without earrings so I gave her a pair of old pearl studs, and she hasn't ever complained so she must like them well enough must like them well enough

The little trinket box is darling - and all the more so for how completely unexpected it was I can’t think of a lovelier way to remember my very first custom design with WF

 

[yssie]

@RunningwithScissors Oh my goodness, thank you so much!!

This necklace was a bizarrely complicated project - for whatever reasons most vendors wouldn’t touch it, and those that would - well, let’s just say that after the first few quotes sticker shock ceased to be shocking Part of my issue was that I knew I wanted diamond stations, and I wasn’t willing to compromise on type of bezel or quality of finish at all. I feel like that's probably something you would sympathize with And then, of the vendors that I felt were good bezel fits, only a handful were comfortable with the pearls. Most wanted to run wire through the drill hole, which seemed fine at first - but the more I thought about it the more I thought “traditional” endcaps would probably fit “traditional” round white akoya better.

Liza said that WF used to buy stock findings for pearls, but that they’d had problems with preshaped parts not fitting properly. The handmade endcaps are… A small part, I suppose, in the grand scheme of things? But the whole piece is so simple - I’d have noticed any flaws right away. WF did such a fabulous job on this necklace. The bezels are normal WF perfection - even and dainty, front and back. All the diamonds face-up the same direction when the rope is held loose, even with how long the chain is, even with pearls interrupting the flow of the chain link. There isn't a single stray spot of glue. Those endcaps are really delicate in-person, and every of them is perfectly concave to fit its pearl exactly, and they're all pristinely finished - no seams, no rough edges, all the same size... At one point I asked about using a mix of pearl sizes and Liza assured me that they'd resize the endcaps appropriately. It was a “leave it in their hands, they’ll do it right, no worries” experience

Here's a pic of the full necklace length - it shows the arrangement a bit better I think?




@LLJsmom The Pied Piper of PS

Y’know what my problem is? I follow my own tunes… Everywhere… Anywhere my heart goes - my brain is sure to follow...

Pearls. They’re insidious little things, I tell ya. When you first see them you don’t think much of them - especially if there are diamonds around to be bedazzled by. The fifth time you see them - you feel like you should really take a closer look. By the fifteenth inspection you’ve gone over every last detail of what you do and don’t like, and you're deciding what you want for next time...

I can honestly say that I have never had my earlobes complemented before. They’re blushing


@yennyfire Thank you! I wasn’t entirely convinced rose gold was the best idea - the metal definitely has much more peach/orange in it than the pink overtone in the pearls. But there’s enough of the same “pink” in both that they wound up looking nicely balanced IRL! I think white metal would probably have subdued the overtone more - and that super strong, bright overtone is one of my favourite things about these pearls, I’m very happy to play it up

It fits doubled! I don’t like the feel of the chains touching the front of my neck, though, so I’ll never wear it that way. To be honest I prefer the way it looks long on me - but maybe I’m just really not used to looking in the mirror and seeing anything around my neck? Right now it doesn’t work for me as a bracelet - it’s about three inches too long to wear clasped and three inches too short to complete an additional loop around the wrist. I’ll likely have it extended one day to be able to bracelet-ize it one of these days


@arkieb1, @springerspaniel, @Catmom, @idealw2boys Thank you


Thank you @luv2sparkle!! Sometimes it really is the littlest things right? Those earrings are some of my smallest and least expensive pieces, but they’re near the top of my most beloved. Some people have lucky socks

 

[yssie]

@bright&shiny Thank you! Necklaces are really so foreign to me - the only other one I’ve got is my thali, which is a traditional South Indian marriage necklace that I wore for exactly one hour: It’s heavy, large, clinky, shorter than comfy for me, and it hasn’t left the safe since my wedding.

Pretty different styles on these!





@MMtwo Thank you!! If complements are spoils - I’m making out like a bandit here

I was chatting with Andrew and he mentioned that that he saw a dramatic uptick in interest in goldens after you and @MakingTheGrade posted your GSSs!! And I will admit that I’ve added myself to the GSS queue, so count me as one of the #Enabled


Thank you @ItsMainelyYou!!

Taking photos of that one was really difficult actually - its so long, getting the camera to focus on the whole thing but blur out the background was a challenge that I’m not used to. Oh well. A little blur adds to the ambiance. #Winning.


Dear @diamondseeker2006 thank you Your DBTY pieces past, present, and dare I say future? - have inspired so many PSers I know I looked at your posts at least a dozen times whilst deciding!!

You know I worried about the thickness of the chain. 1.7mm cable feels more than sturdy enough - I think your chain heft would have been just fine too, even with the additional weight of the pearls. And here's something I've just discovered - thicker chain doesn't tangle!! And all in all I’m very glad I went with rose gold bezels rather than white metal - there’s already a lot going on here. Less is more. As you say. Less is more.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

@RunningwithScissors Oh my goodness, thank you so much!!

This necklace was a bizarrely complicated project - for whatever reasons most vendors wouldn’t touch it, and those that would - well, let’s just say that after the first few quotes sticker shock ceased to be shocking Part of my issue was that I knew I wanted diamond stations, and I wasn’t willing to compromise on type of bezel or quality of finish at all. I feel like that's probably something you would sympathize with And then, of the vendors that I felt were good bezel fits, only a handful were comfortable with the pearls. Most wanted to run wire through the drill hole, which seemed fine at first - but the more I thought about it the more I thought “traditional” endcaps would probably fit “traditional” round white akoya better.

Liza said that WF used to buy stock findings for pearls, but that they’d had problems with preshaped parts not fitting properly. The handmade endcaps are… A small part, I suppose, in the grand scheme of things? But the whole piece is so simple - I’d have noticed any flaws right away. WF did such a fabulous job on this necklace. The bezels are normal WF perfection - even and dainty, front and back. All the diamonds face-up the same direction when the rope is held loose, even with how long the chain is, even with pearls interrupting the flow of the chain link. There isn't a single stray spot of glue. Those endcaps are really delicate in-person, and every of them is perfectly concave to fit its pearl exactly, and they're all pristinely finished - no seams, no rough edges, all the same size... At one point I asked about using a mix of pearl sizes and Liza assured me that they'd resize the endcaps appropriately. It was a “leave it in their hands, they’ll do it right, no worries” experience

Here's a pic of the full necklace length - it shows the arrangement a bit better I think?




@LLJsmom The Pied Piper of PS

Y’know what my problem is? I follow my own tunes… Everywhere… Anywhere my heart goes - my brain is sure to follow...

Pearls. They’re insidious little things, I tell ya. When you first see them you don’t think much of them - especially if there are diamonds around to be bedazzled by. The fifth time you see them - you feel like you should really take a closer look. By the fifteenth inspection you’ve gone over every last detail of what you do and don’t like, and you're deciding what you want for next time...

I can honestly say that I have never had my earlobes complemented before. They’re blushing


@yennyfire Thank you! I wasn’t entirely convinced rose gold was the best idea - the metal definitely has much more peach/orange in it than the pink overtone in the pearls. But there’s enough of the same “pink” in both that they wound up looking nicely balanced IRL! I think white metal would probably have subdued the overtone more - and that super strong, bright overtone is one of my favourite things about these pearls, I’m very happy to play it up

It fits doubled! I don’t like the feel of the chains touching the front of my neck, though, so I’ll never wear it that way. To be honest I prefer the way it looks long on me - but maybe I’m just really not used to looking in the mirror and seeing anything around my neck? Right now it doesn’t work for me as a bracelet - it’s about three inches too long to wear clasped and three inches too short to complete an additional loop around the wrist. I’ll likely have it extended one day to be able to bracelet-ize it one of these days


@arkieb1, @springerspaniel, @Catmom, @idealw2boys Thank you


Thank you @luv2sparkle!! Sometimes it really is the littlest things right? Those earrings are some of my smallest and least expensive pieces, but they’re near the top of my most beloved. Some people have lucky socks

Thank you for the explanation of your process. I'm saving your text for down the road when I may attempt a similar project.

You have a great eye and sense of design and you know the mechanics of jewelry making. I feel really grateful to learn from people on these boards like you!

 

[RunningwithScissors]

If for some reason, years from now, you find yourself selling this (I'm not saying you will, but just in case) seriously, I'd love to put my name on the list for purchasers! I'm not joking about how much I love this necklace! (Remember me just in case!)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Dear @diamondseeker2006 thank you Your DBTY pieces past, present, and dare I say future? - have inspired so many PSers I know I looked at your posts at least a dozen times whilst deciding!!
You know I worried about the thickness of the chain. 1.7mm cable feels more than sturdy enough - I think your chain heft would have been just fine too, even with the additional weight of the pearls. And here's something I've just discovered - thicker chain doesn't tangle!! And all in all I’m very glad I went with rose gold bezels rather than white metal - there’s already a lot going on here. Less is more. As you say. Less is more.

YES!!! Thicker chains do not tangle as much and are FAR easier to untangle than those tiny little chains! I am all for 1.5mm+!

You have the best of taste and design sense and certainly always make the best choices! Your necklace is perfect! Haha, yes, less is more!!! I'd have already called dibs on yours (as I see @RunningwithScissors just did), other than I think I'll make one before you'd ever give yours up!!!

 

[LLJsmom]

Thank you for the explanation of your process. I'm saving your text for down the road when I may attempt a similar project.

You have a great eye and sense of design and you know the mechanics of jewelry making. I feel really grateful to learn from people on these boards like you!

ditto that...

 

[bling_dream19]

Yes me want!! I would love to try on a long necklace. I think the fact that it touches clothing might be what gets me. I don't really know. We are all an idiosyncratic bunch and I love us all. Anyhoo, my coffee and sugar sister, I would love to try on this gorgeous necklace and I will bring some jewels for you!
Enjoy many date nights and feeling beautiful in this gorgeous necklace!

 

[Begonia]

Gosh that looks so pretty on you. You look lovely in the black dress

 

[nala]

That necklace is sooo beautiful! And those studs are so special!

 

[caf]

Both lovely! You have superb taste.

 

[ac117]

Gorgeous, as usual!! Your necklace is not only beautiful but executed to perfection! Love the story of your earring as well! enjoy them!

 

[Cerulean]

@RunningwithScissors Oh my goodness, thank you so much!!

This necklace was a bizarrely complicated project - for whatever reasons most vendors wouldn’t touch it, and those that would - well, let’s just say that after the first few quotes sticker shock ceased to be shocking Part of my issue was that I knew I wanted diamond stations, and I wasn’t willing to compromise on type of bezel or quality of finish at all. I feel like that's probably something you would sympathize with And then, of the vendors that I felt were good bezel fits, only a handful were comfortable with the pearls. Most wanted to run wire through the drill hole, which seemed fine at first - but the more I thought about it the more I thought “traditional” endcaps would probably fit “traditional” round white akoya better.

Liza said that WF used to buy stock findings for pearls, but that they’d had problems with preshaped parts not fitting properly. The handmade endcaps are… A small part, I suppose, in the grand scheme of things? But the whole piece is so simple - I’d have noticed any flaws right away. WF did such a fabulous job on this necklace. The bezels are normal WF perfection - even and dainty, front and back. All the diamonds face-up the same direction when the rope is held loose, even with how long the chain is, even with pearls interrupting the flow of the chain link. There isn't a single stray spot of glue. Those endcaps are really delicate in-person, and every of them is perfectly concave to fit its pearl exactly, and they're all pristinely finished - no seams, no rough edges, all the same size... At one point I asked about using a mix of pearl sizes and Liza assured me that they'd resize the endcaps appropriately. It was a “leave it in their hands, they’ll do it right, no worries” experience

Here's a pic of the full necklace length - it shows the arrangement a bit better I think?




@LLJsmom The Pied Piper of PS

Y’know what my problem is? I follow my own tunes… Everywhere… Anywhere my heart goes - my brain is sure to follow...

Pearls. They’re insidious little things, I tell ya. When you first see them you don’t think much of them - especially if there are diamonds around to be bedazzled by. The fifth time you see them - you feel like you should really take a closer look. By the fifteenth inspection you’ve gone over every last detail of what you do and don’t like, and you're deciding what you want for next time...

I can honestly say that I have never had my earlobes complemented before. They’re blushing


@yennyfire Thank you! I wasn’t entirely convinced rose gold was the best idea - the metal definitely has much more peach/orange in it than the pink overtone in the pearls. But there’s enough of the same “pink” in both that they wound up looking nicely balanced IRL! I think white metal would probably have subdued the overtone more - and that super strong, bright overtone is one of my favourite things about these pearls, I’m very happy to play it up

It fits doubled! I don’t like the feel of the chains touching the front of my neck, though, so I’ll never wear it that way. To be honest I prefer the way it looks long on me - but maybe I’m just really not used to looking in the mirror and seeing anything around my neck? Right now it doesn’t work for me as a bracelet - it’s about three inches too long to wear clasped and three inches too short to complete an additional loop around the wrist. I’ll likely have it extended one day to be able to bracelet-ize it one of these days


@arkieb1, @springerspaniel, @Catmom, @idealw2boys Thank you


Thank you @luv2sparkle!! Sometimes it really is the littlest things right? Those earrings are some of my smallest and least expensive pieces, but they’re near the top of my most beloved. Some people have lucky socks

I think this necklace is perfection. So much so...that I may have to copy (aspects) of it one day if you don’t mind. It looks just spectacular on you - so despite your historical aversion to necklaces - I hope this one gets some air time!

 

[yssie]

@RunningwithScissors OMG. Thank you. For the words and the sentiment - you’re so very generous!

I wore it to Starbucks today and the barista (I think the crew rearranged their shifts, I’ve not met this gal before) said she noticed it as soon as I walked in and loved how empty yet interesting it was. I don’t normally get compliments on jewellery so I was thoroughly chuffed


@diamondseeker2006 Hah! So… I’m chatting with Liza about having an extender made with one more pearl. I asked her about a couple small alterations as well - the phone cord was an almost fantastic idea, but WF interpreted “clasp where the cord joins” a little differently from what I'd envisioned and the the asymmetry is skewed about an inch off what I originally wanted. Easy changes that I’d have done locally if I wasn’t already planning the extender.



I left for work for a couple of days and forgot about the chain hanging on the wall. There’s a fan nearby, so it swayed just a little - I was watching the nest cam from the hotel and the kittens spent SO long trying SO hard to reach it